Ann Primrose Foster

Recollections of as a baby becoming badly injured by a bomb.

Badly injured

Ann Primrose Foster (nee Mitchell) was born in 1942 and lived on Bowater Road in Woolwich. She was too young to remember the war herself although she was told that on 2 March 1944 a bomb blew in the door of the air raid shelter in the garden whilst her family were inside. Ann and her mother were badly injured whilst her grandfather and another lady were killed. The bomb had been meant for the Siemens Cable Company and if the family had stayed in the house they would have been safe.

After the incident Ann’s mother was taken to Joyce Green Hospital and feared the worst for Ann who was taken to a military hospital where shrapnel was found imbedded in her head. When her mother was released she was relieved to find Ann still recognised her as her injuries had left her paralysed on the right side of her body; although she recovered her right leg never grew meaning Ann had to wear a leg iron.

Evacuation

Ann and her mother were then evacuated to the Bassets Liquorice Allsorts family home. Whilst evacuated Ann's mother worked for the family. They then moved back to Bowater Road where Ann felt the rest of her life was relatively normal as she attended Woolwich Common Nursery, before moving on to St Peters School. In 1951 Ann was chosen to present a bouquet to the Mayor and Mayoress of Woolwich at the 'Warspite Road Festival of Britain Tea Party' due to the injuries she had sustained in the war.

'Everything was derelict'

As a child Ann has very few memories of the war. After the war she does remember playing in the old air raid shelters including the damaged one still left in her garden. “Everything was derelict in our area, we used to go to play down by the river Thames” Her mother never spoke about, or celebrated anything to do with the war, she just wanted to forget and not be reminded of it. Thunderstorms affected Ann’s mum her whole life, they reminded her of the bombing raids.

Lifelong injuries

Despite leading a normal life Ann’s leg was still causing her problems and Ann was advised to have her leg amputated – something she could not wait to do as it would mean she would look normal and be able to wear normal shoes. Nevertheless, Ann had to wait until she was seventeen before the amputation as she had to sign the consent form herself.Once the leg had been amputated Ann became entitled to a war pension which she still receives today – something she is very grateful for.